A foot in both worlds (Job)

Magnus was up early today, excitement flowing through the big man as if it were his birthday and he'd been offered the chance to fight someone in the morning, except the fact he wasn't about to fight someone - he'd just joined Fairy Tail, a powerful Wizard guild, and today was to be his 'in-duck-shun'. He had no idea what it meant, but it sounded interesting and so the Chaotic Body mage had barely slept. He'd spent the night mumbling to himself, wondering what today would entail. He wouldn't find out though until Aven was here. It suddenly dawned on him that he was up really early and there wasn't a single other person about...how long would he have to wait?

He spent a few minutes stood waiting in the middle of the main hall before deciding he should find something to do. He found a stack of flimsy cards and, not being able to read to understand what they did, set himself the task of build the highest possible tower he could with them. He'd almost succeeded too, but ended up knocking his tower over when a noise from just outside the guildhall caused him to jump to his feet. It was incredibly loud, and sounded like a young man's voice. Whoever it was, it didn't sound good. Without hesitation Magnus rushed to the guildhall's doors and burst outside.

WC: 230

A most peculiar day for Aven, one he wouldn't have easily imagined himself partaking in. He was currently holding a young man in Dark Matte constraints, while the latter twisted and turned, trying desperately to escape. It was a painful sight; but then again, that was the whole point. Aven had been tasked with introducing the new recruit to the darker side of Fairy Tail, which could range into some very sketchy territory. He'd chosen a time of day when the guild was usually vacant, the early morning, to invite Magnus for a meeting. As the young man cried out for help, Aven leaned against the wall of the alleyway beside the Fairy Tail guild hall, only a few feet in front of the unfortunate soul.

Magnus didn't keep him waiting, and despite the grim scene, Aven gave Magnus a smile as the man burst into the alley. "Magnus! Glad you could make it, and so impeccably timed, as well! As you know, your introduction to Fairy Tail is today, so I thought I'd make it a special occasion, and give you little glimpse into the world beyond the job board." Aven waved for Magnus to join him. Aven's composure was solid, almost uncanny in the nonchalance he displayed, in spite of the wriggling boy next to him. On closer inspection, the boy seemed around eighteen years old, only barely a man, and he had several nasty bruises on his face, including a black eye and a bloody nose.

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[Word Count: 250.]

What Magnus saw as he stepped into the early morning light was not at all what he was expecting; the source of the scream he'd heard was a boy, no older than 18 for sure and horribly beaten from what the Chaos mage could tell. And beside the boy was the man that he was due to meet this morning; Aven stood incredibly relaxed beside the boy, calling over to get the big man's attention. He explained that he intended to show Magnus what the world was like away from the job board. So this was to be his in-duck-shun?

Magnus blinked for a moment, then looked at the boy again before looking back at Aven. "I don't see how this boy has any part in this." he stated bluntly, his arms crossed over his chest. There was no malice in his voice or aggression on his face; he was simply unsure of what the situation was and, whilst he could tell from yesterday that Aven wasn't a bad man, this current situation was beginning to bring those opinions fully into question.

WC: 184
Total: 414

Aven shook his head, as he raised a hand toward Magnus. Behind him, a pitch black wall of some unknown material materialized, sealing the alley off from any prying eyes, though light still shown from up above. "On the contrary, I'd say this boy is pivotal. You see, in this scenario, you're going to be showing this young man the cost of not paying back the money he borrowed from the local money lenders. They don't tend to be lenient when it comes to late payments." The boy opened his mouth to speak, but Aven snapped his fingers, and that same black material formed a gag in his mouth, choking the pleas back into his throat. Aven crossed his arms in mimic of Magnus' own reaction. "Fairy Tail is a mercenary guild that accepts all different types of jobs. Members are free to choose what jobs they take on, of course, and are never forced to take on these kind of darker jobs. However, in order to become a full fledged member, a wizard must be introduced to, and acknowledge, both aspects of Fairy Tail. Rules as written, all dark activities must be done under alias and with a mask, but I think we'll be fine behind that wall there, don't you?"

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[Word Count: 213.]
[Word Count Total: 463.]

Magnus listened intently to what Aven had to say and then closed his eyes as he tried to get a grasp on the situation. It took him a few moments, perhaps longer than most people given his lack of knowledge pertaining to how the world worked, but he eventually fit it all together; this young man had borrowed Jewels from what Magnus could only describe as 'people with too much money who were giving it away' who now wanted their money back. The situation here was that the boy hadn't been able to pay it back and so the people had requested a mercenary guild - in this case, Fairy Tail - to chase this boy down and get the money, or teach him a lesson.

Magnus kept his arms crossed the entire time before opening his eyes finally. "You say we choose what jobs we take. I have no issue with that." he bsaid, before approaching the young man. He'd already taken a beating and Magnus adding to that would just be an insult at this point. Instead the big man stood incredibly close so that he towered over the boy, his abs in line with the boys eyes. "You hurt, yes? What you feel now is nothing. If you do not pay your debts..." he began, before tensing his arms, showing every bit of muscle he had and allowing his magical aura to kick out at the boy. "...then you will know the true meaning of hurt. Are we clear?" he finished menacingly.

WC: 255
Total:669

Aven's eyes narrowed slightly, his smile faltering. Magnus' actions were still in the grey; the man had opted for a more passive route, but he hadn't exactly shown where he drew his line. Straightening from his position, Aven brought his leg swiftly up and around the back of the boy's head, causing him to lurch forward, pain filling his eyes. "Is that all, Magnus? You'd only use words to teach a lesson? Surely, someone with your fighting spirit should know that actions speak louder than words, correct?" At this point, Aven's composure was starting to crack. As much as he was trying to hide it, the situation was tearing away at him, and a brief flicker of empathy flashed in his gaze, before it hardened once more. He'd have to hurry things along. "Words can be cheap; I want you to prove that you have no issue, or you can walk away."

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[Word Count: 153.]
[Word Count: 616.]

Magnus turned to face Aven, this time with genuine disgust. "A fighting man doesn't kick a man when he's already down unless it is deserved." he retorted and, Aven would notice, there was genuine thought going into his words now. "Fear and des-purr-ray-shun are not deserving of a beating. Being weak is not deserving of a beating." he continued before uncrossing his arms. "You said that we chose our jobs. I choose to leave this job to you. I will not stop you. But I will have no hand in this."

With that, Magnus turned his back on both Aven and on the boy, not giving either of them any hope of him returning to help either side, he walked to the wall that Aven had put up and placed a fist against it. Trying to break it would be useless, and that just pissed Magnus off more. He had no issues with the guild doing work like this of course - Gods know he'd done worse than beat a man up in the street. But for Aven to expect him to happily attack a man who had clearly already been beaten? There was no pride in that. No respect. And Aven clearly had no respect for him."Let me go." His voice was cold now, almost threatening, moreso than he'd sounded when threatening the boy just moments ago.

WC: 228
Total: 897

Aven's demeanor brightened as relief washed over him, and he gave Magnus a small chuckle. "Of course; but first, I'd like to properly welcome you to Fairy Tail, without all of the smoke and mirrors." Aven waved his hand, and the appearance of the young man beside him wavered like ripples in a pond, the boy smiling kindly up at Magnus, his bruises and blood gone. After a moment, the boy dissembled into small motes of light, nothing more than an illusion. Aven's expression was similar, a mixture of satisfaction and appreciation. "You see, I'm the one who called for your help. As I said before, actions speak much louder than words, and it's only when one's back is against the wall that they discover what kind of person they truly are." He strode forward with purpose, extending a hand to Magnus with a radiant smile. "You stood fast in your beliefs, despite all of it; I'd be honored to call you my guildmate, Magnus!" The wall dissembled into tiny black particles, allowing the early morning sun to illuminate the dark alley. In Aven's eyes, his first introduction couldn't have gone much better than that.

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[Word Count: 196.]
[Word Count Total: 812.]